Students from Hamilton and Morrisville-Eaton high schools recently returned from a spring break they are unlikely to forget.

The youths joined Operation Southern Comfort out of Liverpool to provide aid for people whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina eight years ago.

In total, 24 students went from both districts and were supervised by parents and faculty from each community.

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The students were put to work to help revitalize two houses: The home of Reisie Murcheson in St. Bernard Perish and the home of Joe Vannison in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Throughout the week they did a variety of jobs, including laying flooring and concrete, painting and landscaping.

"It was definitely one of the greatest experiences I have ever had," said Morrisville-Eaton junior Carrie Eastman.

"It was humbling," said classmate Nicholas Krause. "Being able to give back to those people was a great experience. You don't realize how bad it is until your there."

"It was surprising how much devastation was still there," said Hamilton junior Calivn Lucey-McCade.

"It was so weird to see the contrast between parts of New Orleans that had been rebuilt and the parts the were still in disrepair or abandoned," said Hamilton junior Madeleine Lemaal-Brown.

The group had an instant draw to Murcheson's 70-year-old father, Jim 'Papa' Murray, who helped the crew throughout the week despite being asked to take several breaks.

"No matter how many times we would say 'we got it,' he'd be right there helping out," said Morrisville student Walter Stokes.

Both Eastman and Krause have recently lost their grandfathers, and having a man that shared their loved ones' dedication was a breath of fresh air.

"When I met Papa, he reminded me of my grandfather," said Krause. Krause said the two shared a strong bond. Murray even told Krause and his classmates that he would be proud to have grandsons like them.

"It felt like I had him back for a week," Eastman said. Murray reminded her so much of her grandfather as well, a man who worked for hours on end when her family home was destroyed by a fire.

The students said Murcheson and her family were extremely supportive, both crediting the other for keeping the family together despite the storm.

"It's one of the best father-daughter relationships you could find," Krause said. "They depend on one another so much."

Murray and Murcheson take care of Murcheson's adopted daughter, Danielle, who struggles with several developmental disabilities.

The appreciation that Mrucheson showed the group was strong, going as far as to help cook meals for the troop with chaperone Susan Yancey.

"Reisie said that she has more family in New York than we do, because she considers all of us that came down there to help close relatives," said Krause.

Joe Vannison had escaped Hurricane Katrina during the clutches of the storm by forcing a hole through the roof of his home. He waited for three days on that roof before relief found him. The team spent some of their time with him in the Lower Ninth Ward repairing his home. Vannison lost friends to the storm in his neighborhood; some did not make it out of their homes. Being in what was one of the poorer parts of New Orleans even before the storm and seeing its aftermath was eye-opening, said Lamal-Brown and Lucey-McCade.

"We saw bullet holes in windows of the house around Joe's," said Lucey-McCade, "There were burn marks on the pavement from where cars had been burned. The area was overrun by snakes and other wildlife."

The teams spent time replacing floors in Vannsion's home as well as landscaping to get it up to par. The Hamilton students said the biggest shock for them was seeing parts of the city that had been upper-middle class suburbs before the storm.

"Seeing cars pushed off of the road and into homes was strange," Lamal-Brown.

The students helped plant trees with students from Chalmette High School, a one building high school that currently enrolls students that used to occupy three separate buildings in the area. The groups also tackled the task of building salinity wells to monitor that salt levels in the soil and in water deposits, a problem that has plagued the plat and wildlife of the area in the wake of the storm as salt deposits ruined the area.

They also got the opportunity to visit the French Quarter of the city and take in some of the culture and food of New Orleans, eating at the famous Napoleon and walking Burbon Street.

"I'm really glad I took this trip," said Lucey-McCade. "This is my favorite high school trip."

The schools also got a chance to unite in one cause, and the students said that despite an initial sense of seperation, they have become fast friends and plan to reunite over the summer.

Although this was Operation Southern Comfort's last trip to New Orleans, the group may reform to start planning Hurricane Sandy Relief along the East Coast. Morrisville-Eaton and Hamilton are considering the trip next year for the students, who agreed that they would gladly give up vacation time in the future to help those in need.

"This trip was really fun," Stokes said. "My only regret was not being able to stay longer."